"Yawn… So where's that house, exactly?"
Inase had grown bored walking through the same narrow alley for so long.
The only thing he saw for the past thirty minutes were cold, brick-laid walls. Sometimes, the houses were made of wooden planks, but that was about it for the landscape change.
"We should be there soon." One more of Inase's yawns and Hosen swears he'd punch that man straight into his jaw. "Patience is a virtue."
"Patience isn't worth it."
"Since they might be related to our case, it is," Hosen argued further against the attitude of a man who didn't care. "That's why we are going to meet them."
"Ah, that's another brick with peeling paint in the shape of a d-"
Inase didn't listen whatsoever.
Instead, he tried to entertain his short attention span by observing the surroundings, but that too was disturbed but Hosen's hand that covered his mouth, nearly suffocating him in the meantime. Muffled objections echoed in the narrow space of the corridor.
"Stop with vulgarities around me."
"Hmph."
Inase scoffed distastefully, snapping his head to the side in a sulk. He was about to open his mouth to say something rude again but was instantly cut off by his companion.
"Actually, just stop speaking in general when we get there. With your insensitiveness, just leave the talking to me."
Once they met Mark's wife, it was going to be the white-hair's responsibility to break the news—it was for the best. If Inase were to run his unfiltered mouth, it could turn into a disaster otherwise.
Someone was in a savage mood, it seemed—Inase huffed, disgruntled.
At this point, though, Hosen didn't care whether his roasts jabbed Inase's self-esteem or not. He had listened to his whining for longer than he wanted to.
"Fine." He'll shut up.
Ah, silence, the ultimate salvation.
"..."
A complete sense of bliss for Hosen's soul.
Well, at least for the first few moments… Since Inase started whistling into his ear instead.
Whistle~
It was still preferable to hearing his annoying voice, so he decided to tolerate it.
Whistle, whistle~
Only a twitch to his brow indicated his irritation.
"..."
Whistle~
Hosen was about to snap at the guy until finally, the exit widened up to show them a house (or rather, a cabin) that sat right at the edge of a dense forest.
Its greenery blended with the old wooden walls, and the tall trees swayed over the sloping roof, stretching miles behind it.
The house's porch creaked under the weight of time.
Even though it looked weathered, the woman who took care of her laundry treasured it like a castle—her beauty was as if she came from another world, entirely unfitting for this shabby environment. Humming softly, she folded the dry sheets into a neat, even pile whilst she hung the still-wet ones on the long string tied to two thick tree trunks.
—until she noticed two strangers approaching. Sensing potential danger, she quickly dove inside for her shotgun. The charm of a serene, countryside imagery was shattered by her loud, angry voice.
"Who the hell are you!?"
The woman shouted cautiously, highly alert, trying to protect what was hers.
The muzzle of the gun pointed at their faces unapologetically.
"Woah, there! Easy, miss." Inase pulled his arms up, signaling they didn't mean any harm. "We just came here for …uhh…"
He glanced at Hosen, who, prior to this, had told him to stay quiet. His partner still had that silencing expression on him, so Inase gave up.
I ain't sayin' nothing.
"We came here to bring sad news to you." Hosen took it from here.
"Sad news?" Her eyebrow raised dubiously. "Hah! What could they be?" She didn't seem to take them seriously. "That we don't have enough to pay again? Or that the kids from the neighborhood ratted us out for keeping them out of our yard? They were the ones stealing from us in the first place!"
She wouldn't go along with anything coming out of their mouths.
"Your husband is dead, Miss Virginia."
However, that froze her in place from how sudden and shocking it was.
"What… You're lying!" Pulling the shotgun to Hosen's face in disbelief, "Drop the prank, or I'll shoot your brains out!" she had none of it.
"When we found his body behind the barn, he was already cold. He expired about an hour ago. We're sorry it happened."
Expired?
Inase eyed his partner dubiously.
Well, Hosen wasn't one of the most sensitive people in the world—with a poor choice of words and his tone remaining so emotionless, no matter what he said, it would only worsen their situation.
And now that they had a gun pointed at them, it wasn't a good time to be cracking jokes—not when the woman's finger was ready to press the trigger.
He had to step in, even if it was against the scientist's commands.
"Miss Virginia…" His voice turned softer, more empathetic, in hopes of reaching her wounded heart. "Mark's not coming back."
He explained, manifesting a glimmer of humanity in him, in contrast to Hosen's attitude—he was proud of his acting skills.
Inase personally didn't like to become a softie for someone's sake, but with a dunce of a partner who showed barely any emotions or sympathy towards people, it was inevitable. With no other choice left, he had to show his most vulnerable facial expression.
"No one would have survived a stab to the heart…"
"You're lying!"
But her temper didn't weaken—looking at those tightly knitted eyebrows, her grimace deepened.
"If we were, then how would we know that he had short brown hair and a beauty mark above his left eyelid?"
"It can't be!" She firmly denied it, not believing it at first, "It can't be…!" but her voice cracked the next second when doubts started to fill her broken heart.
"Because…"
Tears welled up in her eyes, and her hands shook in distress, leaving the shotgun with an unstable aim.
"He just walked out of the house this morning… Without saying goodbye, because he didn't want to wake me up…"
Until finally, the crushing realization that she would never hear his voice again had dawned on her.
The gun she was carrying fell to the ground along with her knees, her body turned numb. Hands now covered her wet eyes, and her once beautiful face was now stained by grief and sorrow.
"In the evening, he told me with a smile that he'd bring some catch for us to eat together…"
The woman burst into a loud cry, her heavy sobs clogged in her throat, choking out single clear syllables, otherwise hard to distinguish.
For her, the air felt colder than to any other person, not that her loved one wasn't here to share his warmth, the absence of his presence was like a gaping wound in her heart.
The two kneeled beside her, rubbing her back. It could take minutes, maybe hours, but they would be by her side until she calmed herself down.
***
Her tears had dried up after a long while. Even though her eyes still ached to cry some more, she physically couldn't anymore.
"...I'm fine now…"
The woman reassured them, pulling her head up and forcing a sad smile onto the corners of her lips. Else, her lips refused to ever smile again.
"Would you like… to come in…?"
Too tired to form a proper follow-up, Miss Virginia whispered.
Hosen and Inase looked at each other at first, after which they nodded in sync, agreeing to her invitation. They couldn't possibly leave her alone in this situation, as awkward as their visit would continue to be.
Inside the house, every corner seemed haunted by memories—two cups, two chairs, two sets of utensils, and two plates of each variety. The way he used to fill the space with life was visible in every corner.
Now, all that remained was the emptiness.
After she had sat them by the table once meant for the couple to sit at, she offered them a cup of warm water—the only warm thing she had in this poor household—then turned to the counter with a wooden cutting board to cut some fresh carrots.
The knife tapped on the cutting board rhythmically while her head was empty, bleak, numb… until her finger felt a sudden sharp sensation on the tip.
"Ouch-"
"Are you alright?"
One of them nearly jumped out of his seat to aid her, but she stopped him with a gentle gesture.
"Yes. Don't worry about me."
Virginia quickly wrapped it in a clean rag hanging in the kitchen—that was all she had.
"It's a shallow cut."
She plated the carrots with her healthy hand and sat down with the two, watching the steam from the water cup rise in the dim light of the room.
"He was a perfect husband."
The young widow's voice trembled as she recalled the memory of the man who was no longer here.
"Almost too perfect. Sometimes I had concerns about how to repay him for how good he was to me."
Her eyes sadly smiled whenever she mentioned him—a sign of true love.
"Even during times of poverty, he always made sure that I'd have enough to eat, sometimes even starving himself."
From now on, during cold nights, she would have only a cup of boiled water to keep herself warm—just as she was doing now, wrapping her worn-out fingers around it.
It was kind of silly, telling stories about her husband to a pair of strangers, but she didn't mind, as long as she could get over her grief.
Having someone by her side at her lowest gave her the strength to come to terms with his absence. Words flew out of her mouth like a string of melodies on this chilly November afternoon.
Story after story—silly ones, wholesome ones, funny ones—she let go of every memory of him until she was satisfied.
Both listened to everything she spoke of, for however long she was going to take.
Till at last,
"He was a good man..."
A contented sigh escaped her lips, signaling that she had finished reminiscing about her husband.
"Thank you for listening to me, even though you didn't have to."
"No problem."
Albeit Hosen was a cold person in general, he could be polite enough to hear somebody out.
Grief needed a let-out—if held in for too long, it had negative effects on one's mentality.
Lending her a shoulder was the least he could do.
"Was there anything odd that might have triggered his sudden behavior?"
Unlike Inase, who was more focused on the investigation—he had already played the role of an empathetic listener for long enough. Now, he just wanted to get to the main reason they were here.
He disregarded his companion's side-glance.
"Now that you mention it, for the last week, he behaved a bit weird… More irritated, it seemed. He wasn't himself sometimes."
Being outsiders, they felt the town's impact on them—stress and similar burdens had become the main components of their daily lives.
"But other than that, not really."
"And what about your friends, the ones that came to the town with you?"
Another pressing question came out of Inase.
"Ah, so you've heard about them too." Locals liked to talk a lot about their lifestyle, so she was used to it. "They are still out working. They should be back in a bit, though…" She was a little confused as to why he was asking her this. "If you waited, you might catch them-"
"Got it." He stood from the table after drinking the warm water to the very bottom. "Thanks for your hospitality."
Inase couldn't stay still for much longer—his patience had run thin after understanding they found no leads in this dumpster of a house.
"..."
Hosen followed suit after the man, in silence.
"See ya."
The blonde didn't bother to properly say goodbye, coldly leaving the young widow blinking in confusion, so the scientist (stepping in to do damage control) bowed his head respectfully instead.
Not to say more, the cut carrots were left untouched on the table.
Was it in consideration of her poverty, or maybe something else entirely? Who knows?
"What a weird duo."
***
"Man, what a bummer."
Inase huffed regrettably as both of them walked back through the long, winded road.
"We didn't get anything new this time either."
As if a mourning woman would provide us with any clues...
"It can't be helped. Not every question points at the answer." And their mission wouldn't go this smoothly anyway, so they shouldn't expect much.
"Still… It would be nice if we quickly solved this mess and got some time to laze around afterward, you know?"
Eating more roasted peanuts for a cheap price while watching old TV was on Inase's mind ever since the first time he had experienced it.
"They were so tasty..."
He hummed a cheerful tune to make the time pass faster as they found their way back. If they were to find anything, they would need to restart their investigation from the very root—the crime scene.
The passersby whispered about grim events occurring lately—the two overheard some among the many surrounding whispers.
"My… Did you see what happened?"
"Aye, George is dead… and Mark too."
"I saw it. So tragic…"
"They were good people. What a misfortune had befallen them."
"Pity."
"Apparently the drunkard Dick had gone missing too, the other night."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"He didn't show up at the pub, and he didn't plan to go fishing either."
"Shame… I already miss that funny man."
"Maybe he just got lost while being drunk and will come back soon?"
"I wish. So far, none of those who went missing were found, so… I doubt it."
"Strange things are happening in this town, I swear to God."
"Maybe it's cursed?"
"Don't even say that out loud! It brings bad omens."
"But it's true. The fish are gone, and people go missing! And now this…" Two dead bodies showed up after many had disappeared. "It brings concerns, you know."
One of them audibly exhaled, then raised her head to the sky while rehearsing prayers.
"I just hope our lovely town painter is okay… I pray she won't be next."
"A painter?"
Suddenly, Inase chimed in, interested in the rumors of the old folk.
"What's that about?"
"Oh."
The old lady's prayers were disturbed by his abrupt appearance. Nevertheless, she stayed calm while informing them about the mysterious artist.
"We are very proud to have someone like her."
She responded, barely managing to stand on her trembling legs, yet somehow, she remained upright.
"She's a lovely and talented lady, though somewhat reclusive. Tends to isolate herself in her mansion, spending hours on her paintings." The woman sighed in recollection. "While her works are truly beautiful, unfortunately, they remain unknown beyond Rockport's borders."
A chuckle of hers cut the stale atmosphere surrounding them.
"I'm sure you saw the paintings hanging at the inn, right?"
Indeed, Inase and Hosen noticed these while passing by.
"They are hers."
The first time they entered the inn to book a room for the night, they noticed a large painting of deep-sea creatures.
It looked beautiful, oddly mesmerizing, and in its mystique way, very eye-catching.
"She lives alone, so we're worried that she could go missing…" The old lady added. "She has no one who could protect her."
According to the elderly woman's tale, the painter had opted for a life of solitude, like many artists do, yet she was highly admired by everyone in the town.
While her works often featured vast landscapes, it was the sea painting in the inn's corridor that truly captivated their attention. Thus, they were eager to see her other artworks as well.
It might be worth a shot.
"Where does she live?" Hosen added in.
"On a skerry." Her withered finger gestured toward the sea. "Over there."
Above where her fingertip pointed, a grand mansion perched atop the cliffs on a small island just off the coast near the port, painting an almost otherworldly landscape against the backdrop of the sea.
Its walls were rusted with white grains of salt embedded on top of the dark stone where ivy had crawled up—weaving through the cracks and giving it a timeless, slightly mysterious aura.
Its architecture mixed classical elegance and coastal charm, with tall, narrow windows that opened to breathtaking views of the rough ocean.
"Wow~ What a treat to my eyes."
Inase's playful comment added humor to the grim mood.
"Right? Her mansion takes a breath away."
The elderly woman nodded in approval.
"I guess that would be our new spot to check out."
"Oh, will you do that?"
Hope brightened her eyes. Surely, she could rest assured now that the painter was safe.
"Please, do. All of us are curious about her condition. And if anything happened, you would be there to protect her." Their bond seemed very strong. "She's like a daughter to me."
"Yeah, why not. We need to go there anyway."
Inase affirmed. They intended to check everything out so they could do what she asked while continuing on their own.
"Thank you very much. Here, give her these if you see her. Tell her that nanny Betty sends her regards."
She gave them a bunch of seeds wrapped in a handkerchief.
"Sweet. Thanks, granny."
Although they would have liked to go there right now, it was already pretty late.
Going to the sea in the dark would be too risky, so they decided to organize their trip there tomorrow instead.
However,
Just as they were about to return to the inn for a good night's rest, someone suddenly bumped into one of their shoulders, running frantically.
"Virginia—!"
Visibly shaken by the sight of his friend Mark's lifeless body and deeply concerned for the mourning woman left alone in this cruel world, the man sprinted back to the house at full speed to deliver the devastating news.
He seemed to be one of the young widow's friends.
"!" Inase's shoulder was jerked backward by the strong force. It hurt. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"
"My bad!"
But the stranger didn't seem apologetic, nor did he pay attention. With only one thing in mind, as if he was possessed, he stormed ahead—he didn't waste time on unrelated things, such as stopping for a proper apology.
"Oh dear, that Ralph… He really doesn't see a world beyond that girl." Granny commented.
"I sense a love triangle…" Inase's blunt remark left Hosen shaking his head. "I'll teach him a lesson."
The blonde was about to dart in the man's direction if he wasn't stopped by the scientist's hand on his wrist.
"Leave it." It was not important. "Our priority now is to visit that infamous painter."
"Sir, yes, sir."
Slightly sarcastic, but Inase listened to his words with a tinge of letdown.